Identity Crisis
by blondie91
Summary: When Zelda sent Hyrule back in time, another being was spawned within her; in other words, Sheik. Although the princess does not understand what is happening to her, the vengeful Sheikah is taking over her body bit by bit... -Post OoT-
1. Nightly Swim

**Identity Crisis  
**By: blondie91

_The late evening carried with it a cool breeze that hinted at the first falls of night. A full moon shimmered brilliantly in the sky and in the nearly deserted market place there strolled a cloaked form moving deftly on bare feet around the twists and turns of the alleyway. _

_The mysterious figure skipped gracefully over the sprawled legs of a sleeping homeless person and intentionally dropped something at his side. This something let loose a gentle chink that reminisced of rupees._

**Chapter 1  
****Nightly Swim**

The full moon's light flickered brightly across the lake's surface as a lone figure, clad in the dark protection of a cloak, paced beside its banks.

"This is ridiculous. She should be weak enough…" echoed the cool, lilting voice of a female as the mysterious person talked to herself.

Silence followed this thought.

"Hmm…maybe it's time I did something drastic. Keeping her active on nightly missions certainly doesn't seem to be doing the trick. Nearly drowning the girl might do it, but it just seems too risky…but then again, she'll be worn out while my strength is kept in reserve to save her body for further use."

The girl laughed bitterly as she shed the cloak to reveal long, golden blonde hair, a slender figure, and a thin pale pink nightgown that did little to fend off the night's chill. She shivered and took one step into the lake's cold water, and then another without hesitation. Soon her bare feet no longer touched bottom and her arms extended gracefully as she swam for a pillar in the middle of the lake.

Using the pillar as a way to lower herself deeper into the water, she did so without taking a breath and soon made it several feet under the surface. She purposely took the corner of her gown and managed to get it snagged snugly into a crevice so that escape would be difficult. And that was when something happened.

The look of maliciousness in the girl's sapphire blue eyes faded, replaced by a look of fear. The girl thrashed around suddenly, and though unsure of how she got into this predicament, her mind was set on one thing and one thing only: air.

Water flooded into her body and filled her lungs, squeezing the life from her as she hopelessly struggled. She realized her nightgown was caught on a rock and tried to rip it free, but to no avail. She took firm hold of the cloth and planted her feet in the pillar's side as she tugged with the little strength left in her. The cloth finally ripped and she made a break for the surface.

Her vision clouded as darkness closed in, but she faintly made out the outline of another figure near her and felt strong arms envelope her numb body.

She would never make it to the surface in time, not before she passed out. Yet, suddenly, her head broke the surface in a great whoosh and then she blacked out.

She awoke not but a few moments later to find a warm set of lips on hers accompanied by the uncomfortable pumping of arms on her chest. She fought against whoever it was and rolled away, only to spew water as a result of this process. When she felt sure she was done, she turned to face who she only assumed could be her rescuer.

"L-link?" her teeth chattered as she spoke with genuine surprise.

He nodded seriously. His hair was matted down from his swim and the customary green tunic he wore was soaked through. She did not even want to know what she looked like right then.

"What were you thinking?" he asked angrily.

"I-I…" she began, but he cut her off.

"And what were you doing here anyway, Princess?"

She shakily rose to her feet. "I don't know, Link. I-I…just don't know," she said as a tear drop fell from her eye to mingle with the other water droplets sprinkled on her pale skin.

"Zelda, why would you try to kill yourself?" The anger had left him, of this she was relieved for, but he seemed scared, almost as much as she was.

Princess Zelda shook her head. "I didn't…I don't even know how I got here…Look, Link, where have you been?"

"Away," he replied bluntly while pulling her to her feet. He picked up her cloak which had not been left far from them and draped it around her small, trembling form.

"For five years you went _away_?" Zelda's teeth chattered in the process.

"Yes, now let's get you back to the castle before you get sick," and with that Link gave vent to a shrill whistle that was immediately succeeded by a rhythmic hoof beat and soon after that, the majestic Epona came into view and stopped alongside the two.

The princess found she was too weary to protest as he hoisted her up onto the horse and mounted behind her. "Maybe some other time I'll explain…" Link added as he tightly squeezed the animal's sides.

The trip back to the castle was a blur to Zelda and she almost thought she recalled Link entering through a secret passage on the battlements that surrounded Hyrule Castle Town, one she did not know about and then she was enveloped in an intense warmth as the comfort of her familiar bed enveloped her and sleep quickly overcame her few functioning senses.

xxxxx

Bright sunlight flooding the room woke her the following morning, and with her return to consciousness came the abrupt memories from the night along with a sharp sneeze. When she stiffly pushed the blankets off and found herself to no longer be wearing the same nightgown she had had on, she found her cheeks turning a bright pink when she realized the last person she remembered was Link.

"I know what you are thinking, Princess, but he left the instant he turned you over to my care," the voice of her caretaker, Impa, reached her pointed ears from the doorway.

She looked up to meet Impa's dark eyes and said, "Did he say anything at all?" her voice had taken a slightly annoying nasally quality to it and another sneeze flared from her nostrils.

"You mean about how you tried to kill yourself and how you need to be watched more carefully?" Impa snapped, her normally calm exterior gone momentarily. "Why yes he did."

"Th-that's not what happened," Zelda stammered, completely taken aback by her mentor's harshness.

"Then what did, Princess?" Impa closed the door behind her and fixed Zelda with an icy glare.

"I-I don't remember…" she cowered under Impa's gaze and stared down at her feet.

"You're telling me that for a girl who sees prophetic visions of the future, you can't remember what happened just last night?" Impa hissed. "Or is this just out of convenience? Is there something that you have kept hidden from me because if so, you have kept up a mighty fine pretense of being happy with your life."

Zelda was at a loss for words and Impa continued on her tirade when she found the girl had no response beyond yet another sneeze, "At least tell me that if your original intention was not to kill yourself, then what were you doing at Lake Hylia? Please assure me that you are not the careless person I had never thought you were."

"No, I had no intention…I don't even know how I got to the lake…my father doesn't know, does he?"

"Not yet, but he soon will if you do not supply an adequate response to my questions."

"I just need time to think…"

"How much time?"

"A few…days," Zelda stated hesitantly.

Impa nodded, "Fine, but if I ever hear of you carrying out anymore self-destructive actions, I will kill you myself."

The threat itself was obviously not true, but the underlying tone of menace was evident. "Yes ma'am…" Zelda muttered in reply.

"Your father wishes to speak with you later, by the way, whenever you are ready" Impa said, "and there's a bath waiting for you. I advise that you take it; you're beginning to smell strongly of fish."

Zelda tossed a pillow at her for this rude comment and her caretaker easily ducked out of harm's way and departed from the room. Zelda shook her head and stiffly climbed out of bed and walked into her adjoining bathroom where she stripped and climbed into the warm water. How Impa had known when to start preparing a bath for her, Zelda did not know, but she was certainly not about to complain, especially with the cold she had developed.

With her body feeling at ease, however, it became time to sort through the jumbled tumult her mind had become. Where she should have remembered venturing all the way out to the lake, there was only a blank void…and this was not the first time something similar to this had happened, though nothing from before had been to such a dangerous degree. There had definitely been times when she had awaken in the middle of various places, with no idea as to what she was doing there. One time she had even found herself in Lon Lon Ranch, crouching in the shadows and waiting for who knew what. If Link had not been there that last time though…She shuddered to think of what could have happened.

With Link the new focus of her thoughts, she recalled his lips pressed against hers. He might have just been trying to save her, but…it just seemed so odd for him to turn up after all those years and walk across her in need of some help. She was very lucky indeed.

After she had sent everything to before Ganondorf's awful reign, Link had become depressed and forgotten. After three years he could not seem to remain satisfied staying anywhere and then he had disappeared without a word…and now that they were eighteen, here he was again. It warmed her heart to know he was back, after all she considered him a friend, but she wished to know more of his experiences. And, as embarrassing as it might be given everyone else's current thoughts on the situation, to thank him for what he had done the previous night.

She eventually submerged her hair into the water and came back up, grabbing a nearby brush as she prepared to wage war on the tangles she knew she would find there.

xxxxx

Once she was ready she made her way downstairs. She had had a maid come in to braid her wet hair and wore a simple, but pretty, blue dress that had the intent of complimenting her eyes.

Rounding a corner of the many hallways that could be found in Hyrule Castle, Zelda found herself bumping heads with Link. Both staggered back and Zelda mumbled an "Ow."

"It is good to see you up and about, Princess," Link said curtly, clearly trying to pass by her.

She moved to block his way, however. "I want you to talk to me," she said.

"Maybe later."

"Now seems as good a time as any," Zelda pointed out.

"I have things to be doing," he snapped.

"I doubt they are so pressing that they have to be done this instant."

Link sighed in defeat, "All right, what do you want to know?"

"After all this time…why now have you decided to come back to Hyrule?"

"That I can't answer, but I will tell you that Impa has offered me refuge here for a few days."

A startled expression streaked across Zelda's face, "Really? She's letting you do that?" _She told me you had left…_

"It was the least she could do in payment for my saving you last night," Link smirked and easily brushed past her.

Zelda turned and stared after him…She would not have been so concerned with getting answers, but something had to be wrong. He was hiding something and that something was what had brought him back to Hyrule, a place he had once seemed so eager to forget.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Well, hopefully I'm not wrong to be excited about this fic but really what I'm looking to do with it is improve my writing, especially in comparison to my other fanfics. I'm going to try to get as much done before August when my schedule really starts to get hectic, but for now an update will come every Sunday night unless something happens to my computer so yup. Welp, thanks for reading!

-blondie91

**Disclaimer**: I do not own The Legend of Zelda, never have and never will.


	2. First Impression

_A/n: I posted reviewer replies for last chapter through the homepage link on my profile page if anyone is interested, so feel free to check those out. I just prefer that system over this site's method…_

**Chapter 2  
****First Impression**

"Marriage…now?" Zelda stood there staring at her father aghast.

"You're eighteen, dear, if you wait too long even inheriting the whole kingdom of Hyrule won't appeal to anyone," the king said with an irritated smile at his daughter's reaction.

"But…it just seems…so…soon…I haven't met anyone I'd have an inkling of interest in," she protested.

"This is why I've already arranged times for you to meet with suitors, some of Hyrule's nobility."

"B-but…"

"Now darling, you mustn't be so unreasonable. With you being the only heir while I'm in my older days, it is a dangerous time for there to be so little of the Royal Family left to hold onto the throne."

"But father…" _This is too sudden…_

"I don't want to hear anymore buts about it. A fine young man, Brayden Terrell, is coming this afternoon to court you and you are going to be cordial to him."

"Y-yes…Father," Zelda's face fell as she exited the room.

xxxxx

Brayden Terrell was a handsome young man, Zelda decided, but he was just a bit of a snob and completely self-centered. She knew immediately that she did not want anything do with him past this day.

They walked about the courtyard as she suffered under his stories of _heroic_ exploits, some of which were obviously untrue. She could tell he was trying hard to impress her, but that only made it all the more pitiful. As her first suitor, and he obviously knew that, it seemed that he wanted to leave her with an experience none of the others could follow.

"And there I was, faced with an intruder skilled enough to escape the guards with naught but an unlit torch in my hands."

Zelda rolled her eyes, but Brayden did not see this and kept on talking. "Well, the man charged me. I just barely avoided the swing of his sword and managed a heavy strike to the back of his head. I knocked him out in one blow, I'd hit him so hard."

"Yes, well that's all very…" an edge seeped into her voice as she spoke her next words, "interesting and all, but let's do something fun."

"What do you suggest we do, my princess?" he asked, flashing a pearly smile.

"Let's go to the marketplace." There was an unnatural gleam to her eyes that went undetected by her companion.

"Didn't Impa say we had to…stay here?" Brayden's confusion was evident, but his desire to impress her kept him from shooting the idea down completely.

"Well, there's been a slight change in plans it seems then." She quickly ducked out of the sight of an oncoming guard and jerked him down with her into a set of bushes. The guard continued unperturbed without a single glance cast their way. "If we can make it around all of the guards, then we'll be clear. No one will come looking for me for another few hours."

"Princess, isn't this all a bit extreme? I think it wise to simply stay--…"

"Nonsense. Besides, where's that adventurous spirit of yours you've been telling me all about?"

He hesitated, but finally nodded his head in decision, "As you wish."

The two made good time as Zelda was well aware of the secret way into the castle. Although they ended up a bit soggy, they ran into no trouble and were already down the vines and on the main path headed away from the castle's main gates.

"Won't people recognize you, Princess?" Brayden asked, suddenly. "I don't think we'll need unwanted attention…"

"Good thinking. Give me your cloak," she said. He eagerly hung the dark material across her shoulders and she pulled the hood up herself. "All right, shall we?"

She hooked her arm in his and they strode into town under the pretense of an easygoing couple.

When they made it into town, however, Zelda froze. "Hmph, it would seem we have an unwelcome guest following us," Zelda muttered to Brayden, after casting a swift glance over her shoulder. Before Brayden could react, Zelda flung her arms around his neck and pulled him into a hard kiss.

He eagerly accepted the kiss and returned the favor, all thoughts of inappropriate behavior in a courtship banished from his mind.

A figure dropped from one of the central trees and obstructed their path. It was none other than Link. "Princess," he said seriously.

Zelda ended the kiss then and emitted a low gasp and tugged on Brayden's arm. "We should get away from this man. He's a well-known criminal to these parts."

Link raised an eyebrow at this, "What are you doing, Zelda?"

"How were you able to recognize her and just who do you think you are to be so frank with the princess?" Brayden snarled, taking a menacing step forward. There was a dazed expression engraved behind his features.

"And just what are you going to fight me with?" Link stated nonchalantly; not one emotion found its way across his face. "This is ridiculous and you are being duped into playing the part of a fool. I am no criminal and there is no reason for confrontation."

"Oh…" Brayden's eyes locked on the sword hilt poking over Link's shoulder, completely oblivious to Link's snide comment. "I-I…"

"What kind of man doesn't carry a weapon?" Zelda sneered from behind him.

By then a crowd was beginning to form as the exchange was whispered amongst the people. No one knew who Link was, but at the mention of the princess's name, they were all eager to see just what was about to go down.

"How am I t-to believe y-you?" Brayden stammered.

"Please, Brayden, don't let him hurt me," she had the damsel in distress act nailed perfectly in her voice, but because of the drawn hood no one could see the expression on her face.

"This is pointless. You are coming back to the castle with me, Princess. _Now_," Link made a move towards Zelda, but Brayden was not about to let him get any closer.

His intense desire to please Zelda overcame him and he swung his arm. Link, of course, easily caught his wrist and flipped him over onto his back. He then proceeded to step over the fallen form and tightly grab Zelda's arm. "You can bet Impa will be informed of this incident."

Zelda's hood fell from her face as he pulled her forward and the crowd immediately reacted. The townspeople closed in on Link in a surge of bodies as he made a futile effort to shove through them.

"Let go of our princess!" The woman that yelled this swiped at Link's head with a broomstick, but he dodged easily.

All the while this was going on, Brayden laid on the ground about to be trampled. Link had been forced back to his starting point and yanked the pathetic noble to his feet; his grip on Zelda never slackened.

"What's wrong with you Zelda? Do you not see what a mess you've made?" Link growled in her ear, frustrated by her suddenly passive behavior. She smiled malevolently at him and he stood perplexed for a moment.

There was a distinct chink of metal at the town's guardsmen finally took action and stepped into the fray. The crowd quickly dispersed themselves at their interference in order to allow the guards some room to work.

Link knew he would be seized first and asked questions after who knew how much later, so he did the only sensible thing he could think to do. He ran.

He jerked Zelda and Brayden so hard that they had no choice but to stumble after him. He was allotted precious time when the guards stood unmoving in surprise at this course of action, and Link made the most of it and sprinted to the castle's path with the two in tow. He ducked into the protective shadows of a nearby tree, and his fingers moved deftly to remove the dark cloak from Zelda's shoulders and throw it as a blanket over all three.

He finished this not an instant too soon because the guards wrapped around the corner a second later and charged on by thinking they were hot on the group's trail.

When silence descended after the guardsmen's noisy departure, Link pulled Zelda to a standing position and left Brayden to help himself.

Zelda, however, abruptly fell into Link's chest and started crying into his shirtfront. "I'm sorry Link…I didn't mean to…I just…I don't know what's happening to me!"

xxxxx

Their wrinkled green skin was aglow with blue and red light cast from the flame and ice that consisted of their hair. The sand goddess stood erect in the Spirit Temple as the two witches hovered about on similar broomsticks.

"That fool of a boy has returned to toy with our plans it seems," Koume cackled with a malevolent air about her.

"Yes, but soon, dear sister…the Royal Family won't know what hit them," Kotake answered in kind.

"I say we kill the boy first though, the king can wait! That Link has gotten in our hair before, we would be wise not to let it happen again."

"What's he to do when our slave is on the throne though? He wouldn't dare harm his precious Zelda, now would he?" Kotake voiced the twin's infamous shrieking laughter at this statement.

"Yes, but I've not seen one more determined than him. He'll find a way, sister; we must not let that happen," Koume stated reasonably.

"Fine then, we'll send a different minion to take care of him. The other must not be sidetracked from his quest. It is the only way to achieve our goal," she replied. The finality in this was indisputable.

"Very well, sister."

xxxxx

She was lost in a void, watching in utter mortification as her body acted and said things of its own accord. Link was right to wonder what was wrong with her; she was certainly beginning to think there was something.

She might have suffered memory loss before, but never anything such as the dreadful experience of having no control as some other presence replaced her. And now Zelda cried without thought into Link. He was solid under her and it comforted her to have him there, and though she could tell just how uneasy she was making him feel, she just could not seem to summon the will to care.

"She kissed me…" she heard Brayden repeatedly saying to himself in the background, and that only made matters worse.

"Yes, and as happy as I'm sure you are, there are more important matters at hand," Link snapped back at him.

Link's tone was enough to shut Brayden up for a minute, but only a minute. "I-I think there has been a terrible misunderstanding…"

"You've got that right. Zelda's got some explaining to do."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hmm…I seem at a loss for words right now, lol.

I'm setting a minimum word length limit for each chapter at 2,000 words, except…this chapter fell just short of that by 200 words…eh heh. Well, from now on I shouldn't have that problem because some of the future chapters are turning out pretty long...Well, long for me at least. I found this chapter to be kinda iffy when I reread it so hopefully it didn't turn out terribly…especially since Brayden earned himself a last minute name change, lol. Anyways, thank you reviewers and don't forget to check out replies if you have not done so already! I love feedback and always will. An update will be here for sure next Sunday night!

-blondie91


	3. Impa's Spy

**Chapter 3  
****Impa's Spy**

Eventually Zelda was able to compose herself and pulled away. She did not meet Link's eyes, however, when she addressed Brayden first, "I'm sorry, Brayden. Link's actually…a friend."

"Hmm…I forgive you, Princess. I can understand why you would want to test my worth as a proper protector."

Zelda did not have to look to know Link was rolling his eyes in disgust. She let Brayden's idea slide by as truth by not saying anything.

Link apparently was not going to interject anything on her behalf either. "I'm sure security's been heightened already. I think we'd better get inside before it gets any worse."

"And what do you propose we do? Sneak back in? You're the only one that would be getting in any serious trouble for what happened. Why can't the princess and I walk up to the main gates and explain the situation to the guards stationed there? You can sneak…Wait, do you know how to sneak into the castle?"

Link smiled at this, "I know many ways beyond the one you all took to get out here. And no, you will all follow me. For one, the guards will believe Zelda is reporting a safe return under threatened conditions and two, I don't think she'll be quite ready to explain all of this to her father."

Zelda emphatically nodded in agreement with this and as a result, Brayden pouted.

"Quit being pathetic. Our best option is to find Impa before anyone else can find us," Link explained. "Follow me."

As he prepared to ascend the vines, though, something massive and golden in color rammed into him from out of nowhere and sent him flying into the opposite cliff. The thing followed suit and crashed on top of him.

Zelda's eyes widened in shock and she ran to help him, but jumped back in surprise when an Iron Knuckle rose from the ground. Link lay immobile against the wall's base. "L-Link?" she asked, slowly backing away.

The Iron Knuckle ignored the unmoving target and stomped with a heavy slowness towards Brayden. The noble stood rooted to the spot in a dumb terror as he beheld the approaching monster with a gaping mouth. Zelda, meanwhile, crept around the creature and down to Link's side hoping the idiot would find his legs and move.

Link's chest rose and fell sharply in an exaggerated breath. She was relieved to find him alive, but blood pulsed from the gash in his head and there was no telling how many bones he had broken. She was taken aback when he opened his eyes and looked at her.

"Help me stand up," he gasped.

"No, there's no telling the extent of the damage; you need to be still," she said.

He struggled to sit up on his own anyway, "My right arm took most of the damage; I'll make it."

Zelda tried to gently push him back down, but even in a weakened state he was not that feeble. "Link, you aren't well enough to fight!"

"Well, if I don't, your guards certainly won't do the job and your boyfriend there is likely to have an identical twin here in just a second."

Link forced himself up with the use of his left arm and Zelda gasped in alarm at the sight of his right arm hanging limp and useless at his side. "Link--…"

The guards' attention had been aroused by the commotion, and their noisy arrival saved Brayden from the huge axe swing that had been about to cleave him in two.

Brayden hurried to Zelda's side as Link staggered a small step forward. The pain proved too much for the teenager and he collapsed. Brayden barely caught him before he could hit the ground, and Zelda was relieved when she saw Impa fast approaching. Behind her followed two men with a stretcher between them.

Wordlessly Impa helped Brayden lift Link's limp body onto the cloth, and Zelda followed as they bore him inside around the battle. At one point she winced when she heard a guard's scream of pain, but she dared not look. She knew Link could have taken care of a single monster had he not been taken out like that, and this made her feel uneasy leaving the guards to deal with it.

When they made it back inside, Brayden voluntarily went to his borrowed room and Zelda was allowed to follow. At the sight of blood and bruises with the removal of his shirt, however, she promptly departed in tears and sat outside the doorway.

None of it made sense, though. How in the world did an Iron Knuckle just randomly fly through the air to hit Link of all people? And what was wrong with her, losing control of her body like that?

Zelda retreated into herself. It was not like before when it had not been by choice, but it was merely a way to avoid overwhelming emotions that she did not want to feel: fear, worry, disgust…She allowed herself to be lost in a void somewhere between sleep and total consciousness, unmoving and unfeeling as the day's events replayed continuously across her mind. What could she have done against whatever it was that had possessed her?

xxxxx

A few hours later, Zelda's sleepless form was nudged and she looked up groggily to find Impa standing over her. "He's much better now if you would come see him. I think there is much that needs to be explained now." That last bit was emphasized in her direction and she cautiously stood and trooped into the room behind her caretaker.

Link sat propped up by pillows, his face was pale and drawn and huge purple shadows ringed the base of his eyes. A blanket covered his lower half and bandages wrapped firmly around his middle, especially focused to his right side, and his arm hung in a sling.

"H-how bad is it…?" Zelda asked quietly.

"The whole right side of his body has been severely damaged, but the healers are working on concocting a red potion. It would seem the potion maker is currently not at her residence and we had none in stock," Impa said nonchalantly.

Link met her eyes and Zelda could not hold their penetrating gaze. She felt so ashamed even though his current condition really was not her fault. "What…was that back in the marketplace? Why were you trying to get me in trouble and cause such a big scene?" he asked her. His voice was weak, but the strength of his conviction stood strong.

Zelda stared intently at the ground, unsure of how to answer. They would surely think her crazy if she mentioned even portions of the truth. Impa placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, sensing her charge's turmoil and a thought came to her.

"And just why were you following me to begin with?" she finally replied, wondering if she could get away with stalling and freeing herself from the main topic.

Impa answered instead, "I sent him. You've been behaving oddly lately and I thought it best to keep an eye on you. I, myself, have too many matters to attend to, so I asked Link to return and do this favor for me. And it's a good thing I did too. You were to stay on castle grounds today, what were you thinking? And then what, Link follows you to the marketplace only to be accused as some petty criminal? Is he not your friend?"

"He is-…"

"And just yesterday you tried to kill yourself. What is going on?" Impa's voice took a sharp tone to it and Zelda realized her attempt at a subtle topic change had failed.

"I…I don't know. Not the whole of the situation," Zelda eventually settled for this response, which really was the truth.

"Then tell us what you do know," Impa snapped impatiently. She was losing her cool and Zelda could feel Link's searching eyes boring into her with interest.

Zelda took a deep breath to calm her suddenly racing heart and said, "It's not me that is doing these things. There is something…inside me…I lose control and my body carries on without me."

An awkward silence filled the room as her audience mulled over her words. "This is not trickery? You would do well not to mock our intelligence, my dear. We are not stupid. You are telling me that some spirit possesses you?"

Zelda shrugged. "Maybe a spirit, I don't know. But…there have been other times. Before Lake Hylia. I wake up in the middle of the night and sometimes I am in the deserted marketplace, Hylia Field, or even Lon Lon Ranch without any recollection of how I arrived from my bed to these places. Today in the market…was the first I'd felt any real awareness during times my body performed in spite of me. Today…I watched as I said all those things in the marketplace…even _kissed_ Brayden, but that was not me."

Link seemed to wince at some unpleasant memory, but said nothing. Impa forced Zelda to lift her head and searched her eyes for some truth in these words. "I have never doubted you before, Princess…but considering recent events, my trust in your words is no longer full proof."

Zelda nodded solemnly and looked to Link for his opinion.

"I believe you," he said simply, but fatigue laced his voice. "When I saved you from drowning…once the guards ran by…you seemed lost almost. Scared of something, but confused as to the source of your actions."

"Hmm…" Impa muttered. "If this is true…then why would such a thing be plaguing Hyrule's princess? And what could be behind this?"

"An Iron Knuckle does not fly of its own accord. And you…apparently, do not act according to your own wishes. There's some evil…here…but it's too soon…" his voice was fading and his eyes drifted closed. "I'll find out…some…how…"

Impa smiled faintly as sleep overtook Link's weary form and ushered Zelda from the room while shutting the door with a silent click. "Very well, Princess. You have his faith, so you shall have mine. One way or another we will get to the bottom of this, but for now you have your father to attend to. He's going to want answers and nothing satisfies one more than to hear the truth, well most of it anyways. He has been appeased so far by his guards that you are safe and that there was never any real danger to your person, but you must go to him now and I will let you earn back my trust depending upon what you tell him."

"Can I ask you something…first…?" Zelda hesitated at the end, surprised at the question herself though knowing full well what she intended, but she would be embarrassed if her mentor read too much into what was on her mind.

"Of course."

"Link didn't just come back because of me did he-to do a favor for you? Did he ever tell you what made him leave in the first place?" Zelda asked haltingly.

Impa smiled, "Yes, but that is not for me to share. You'll have to get that answer from him."

Zelda moved her mouth to speak again, but unprecedented exhaustion swept through her body with a vengeance and a massive yawn escaped her as she collapsed into the steady arms of her caretaker, blissfully lost to the realm of sleep.

xxxxx

"The boy is helpless, why not kill him now and be done with it?" Koume hissed; her strong desire for revenge formed an evil sneer across her haggard features.

"No, the last thing we need is to distract our creature from its mission. Tonight we set things in motion, while her will is weak. A kingdom lost to chaos can then be easily dealt with," Kotake cackled in response.

"Why not do it ourselves then?" Koume snapped.

"Soon, my dear sister we will be free, and then we shall do what we wish."

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I posted replies for last chapter through the homepage link, so be sure to check those out. Thank you again reviewers, your words are always appreciated! If you had any problems with this chapter feel free to beat up my sister, lol, just kidding. ;)

-blondie91


	4. Attempted Murder

**Chapter 4  
****Attempted Murder**

The castle stood encased in a shroud of the night's starlit darkness. Zelda's eyes snapped into an abrupt wakefulness as moonlight flooded through her window. Without hesitation, she shoved her bed sheets from her body and rose with no sign of weariness about her person.

Torchlight illuminated the hallway outside her door and she crept stealthily toward it. No one stalked the corridor, so no one stopped her as she ventured out. Quickly maneuvering to the top floor, she ducked behind tapestries and empty suits of armor anytime she thought she heard someone coming.

She ran into no trouble and the convenience proved exceptional, but the ease of her actions plagued her with a question. Where was Impa to impede her progress? Surely that woman had not left her without spies if not her own careful attentiveness, would she not? Her mind remained fully alert and though she heard nothing, she could not shake off the feeling that something was amiss. When she arrived at the king's door, she became especially suspicious due to the lack of guards.

"Fine then, if they want to make this easy for me, let them," she growled, promptly twisting the knob and sliding in. A ceremonial sword hung by the door and she pulled it down, untroubled by its weight. "And this will have to suffice for the job."

She could easily discern a sizeable mound on the bed, though, her vision was limited by the minute crack of light she permitted entry. She held the sword close to her and brandished it with two hands locked firmly on the hilt. No sound escaped her as she stole to the bedside and raised the weapon high.

The lump on the bed moaned then and flopped on its side. Zelda braced herself to put everything she had into the sword strike when something rammed into her from the side and sent her crashing into the nearby bed stand. The sword flew from her hands and slid across the floor on the opposite side as that something went down with her.

The bed's occupant became no longer a lump as a light flashed from an unknown source and lightened the room. Zelda did not let this setback disorient her, however. She pushed her body free from their entanglement and rose quickly, but the other was already a step ahead of her and had Zelda pinned to the wall with her hands held painfully behind her in mere seconds.

"Tell me then, is this the princess I've apprehended or another?" Link's strong voice hissed in her ear; his body pressed hers in a vice against the wall.

Somehow managing to twist an arm free, Zelda threw a sharp elbow into his stomach which caused him to stumble back and grant her freedom.

She lunged towards him in an attempt to gain the upper hand, but he recovered faster than she had anticipated and caught her in a tight bear hug that fastened her arms to her side and made her struggles futile. Another indistinguishable presence stood on the edge of her line of vision. Her chance to kill the king had to be at hand, and yet the imbecile boy was about to blow it for her.

Link slightly lengthened the distance between them, but did not slacken his hold on her as he locked eyes with her. "Now, who are you?"

"It's certainly a pleasure to see you up and about so soon," she said nonchalantly.

Link shook her as pure anger burned through any mask of emotion in the menacing expression his face bore. "Tell me now. Whoever you are, leave Zelda alone."

"Whatever do you mean, Link?" she asked innocently bewildered. "I am Zelda."

"Maybe in body, but certainly not in spirit," Link spat.

"Now, now, you wouldn't want to hurt the poor dear. This body is still hers after all as you so blatantly put it."

Link had been prepared only to keep her from breaking away, so when she stepped closer, he was completely caught off guard, especially when her lips met his. He stood unresponsive at first, stubbornly refusing to relinquish his hold on her, but then a change seemed to sweep over him as his mind gave into passion instead of reason and he found himself unable to resist. All self-control left him and he feverishly pulled her closer as a flood of uncalled for emotion washed through him.

This lasted for only a minute, however, when Zelda took advantage of her diversion and kneed him hard before twisting around to face the other person. Her face fell when she saw it was not the king, but a lowly guard. Her suspicion had been right to suspect as she realized the trap she had so easily fallen into.

Link grabbed her from behind and knocked her to the floor where he held her in an uncomfortably tight position. "Who are you?" he sounded breathless, but another unnamable emotion laced his voice.

She smiled fiendishly. "Maybe another time, boy, but my hold fails for now. Your darling princess has such astonishing will power after all."

Link stared at her blankly in response to this answer, but knew the change for what it was when the malevolence about the princess fell away. Link helped her up and she stood in a daze. She hesitantly raised her eyes and a tinge of pink danced across her pale cheeks. "You kissed me, Link."

"Ahem," Impa interrupted from the doorway and Link abruptly turned her way with a flustered expression on his face. "It would seem I shall have Sir Daniel here report as he is the least disoriented, I should hope."

The guard referred to ambled his way over to Impa in which they conversed in muted tones.

"Were you aware of the spirit this time?" Link asked. His mask of total composure was falling back into place.

"Yes…" Zelda answered softly. "It wanted to kill my father. How did you know to stop me?"

"Wasn't terribly hard. Impa heard you talking in your sleep and it sounded as though you were arguing with someone over the idea. She set the trap as a precaution with the hope of finding out who is using you."

"How is my father taking all of this?" she stared shamefaced at the ground. She did not know whether to be relieved or disappointed that the kiss had faded as irrelevant, but she knew it was past bringing it up again.

"Currently he is in the dark, and he will be kept that way until we deem it necessary that he knows."

"How…?"

Link partially smiled. "Don't hate us too much, but Impa had to resort to trickery."

"Where is he now?"

"Vacationing out of harm's way. Did you know the other's motives in doing this?"

Impa interrupted at that moment as the guard sauntered off, "Now then, Link, I am terribly disappointed at your lack of self-control and I hope you can maintain a better hold on it should it happen again." Link merely nodded without emotion as Impa continued, "And is there anything you two can tell me about the intruder?"

"No, it released Zelda when I had it pinned," Link stated mechanically.

"Were you at least able to discern the person's gender?" this she directed specifically at Zelda.

"Well…I thought it would be female, but…when it…kissed Link…it channeled that to my being and let me have control…on the…receiving…end…" Zelda's skin radiated pink as she carefully phrased her response.

"Hmm…Well either way, I think it high time we exorcise this spirit," Impa said.

Zelda gave her a confused look, "What? How…?"

"I'll work out the details to you later, but for now it's off to bed for you my dear to get a few more hours of rest before sunrise."

xxxxx

Zelda leaned heavily on the railing of her balcony. Sleep evaded her now of all times, though she knew she needed to keep her strength up to fight off the invading spirit. _She _had tried to kill _her _father. Spirit or no, she would never have been able to forgive herself had something happened. It was a good thing she had others looking out for her…

Zelda started when a hand brushed her shoulder and nearly screamed except that the trespasser spoke first. "Shouldn't you be in bed, Princess?"

Zelda whirled around to face Link, "What are you doing here?" She had not meant to come across so bluntly, but she had not comes to terms with her surprise yet either.

It did not seem to bother him, however, as he continued in an effort to explain himself, "Your light was on and…Impa said you wanted to talk to me." If she did not think she knew better, Zelda would have thought Link was hesitant to approach her on the issue.

"Well…I had a few questions…" Zelda replied uncertainly. She resumed her former position on the balcony rail and Link joined her.

"Ask away then and I'll confirm to you what I can…though I think I know where this is going."

Zelda was stunned at his readiness to be open. "Well, first of all…why did you leave Hyrule in the first place?"

Link stared intently at the stars as he pondered over the answer he was to give. Finally, he said, "When you sent things back to the way things were…I became restless," he seemed to catch a worried look somewhere in her expression and hurriedly added, "Not that what you did was bad of course. Your decision saved countless people from death and more so from the horrors of that world, and not to forget, you gave me back seven years of life…but with no memory of who I was and what I had done, there was no way to make anything of myself in a time of peace. The ways of a warrior were so ingrained in me after all I had fought for, my body could not welcome the chance to relax and get on with a normal life. I certainly could not return to my former home in the Kokiri Forest and live among children knowing what I knew, after seeing what I'd seen. I felt useless and without a place in the world; a forgotten hero with no other purpose than to fade into history, my story to remain untold. I've never thought myself to be so self-centered and glory-bound, but a simple life in the background was no longer good enough for me it seemed…and then I will be forever scarred by the horrors Ganondorf's reign forced on Hyrule. Ganondorf brought me so much pain and matured me mentally well beyond my years. He gave me cause to learn to fight, something I seem to have taken a decent hand to, but he will have forever taken my joy, my peace from me. My ultimate goal in leaving was to forget…and find another land where I could feel useful. I wanted to save other kingdoms from anything even half as bad as what Ganondorf did here. The nightmares still come and I have not forgotten, but I'm still trying…"

Zelda gently placed her hand on his in support. She sensed the hardship he faced in letting all of this out to her in the stiff way he voiced his feelings. A comfortable silence developed between them as they both seemed to be contemplating Link's words.

"…then, why did you come back?" Zelda eventually asked. "Surely to forget it does not do one good to return to the place of dreaded memories…A favor to Impa does not seem strong enough to be your only purpose here."

Link shook his head vigorously, "No, I cannot tell you now. I am here to face my emotions and put that behind me…that is all I can say to that."

Zelda met his eyes frantically, the mask was falling back into place and she would never know the truth. Because of what the both of them had gone through for Hyrule's sake, they held a close bond in that aspect and she wanted to help him. He had saved her kingdom…and she had never realized there was something deeper trapped inside of him. Yet, here she was…about to lose the chance of finding out sooner rather than later. "Link, please. Answer me. Tell me the rest."

He shook his head again and moved to pull his hand away, but not before an indignant cough interrupted them. "It's a bit late for visitors isn't it?" Brayden glowered at Link from the balcony's entrance.

Link rolled his eyes at this. "And just what is it you want?"

"Only to check on the princess, and it turns out I was right to do so. What are you two up to, anyway?"

"Just talking," Zelda answered almost too quickly. "Link's been away for a long time so we have a lot to catch up on."

"These are certainly odd hours for conversation," Brayden snapped; he was quite agitated. "Most would be sleeping at two in the morning."

"Then let us allow the princess her sleep," Link replied calmly as he moved to walk in past Brayden. Brayden followed suit and made sure Link exited before he did. "Good night, princess," he called softly and then the door was shut.

Zelda blinked at how sudden their departure had been and despair reached her as she realized Brayden had picked the worst time to intrude on their discussion. She had been close, yet so far away at the same time. She sighed sadly to herself and closed off her balcony before deciding that she might as well climb into bed and try to get a little bit of rest.

xxxxx

When they had gone several feet from the door, Brayden caught Link off guard and shoved him into a wall. Link took it patiently and raised an eyebrow in inquiry. "Well, what was that for?"

Brayden snorted in disgust. "What do you think you are doing with a princess? She is obviously of nobility…and you are…not."

Link grabbed onto this bit of hesitation in his voice, "And just how do you know this about me? You are not to be the only suitor courting her, you know."

"Well, I asked around…but I didn't have much to work with. The princess is mine, though, so back off."

"Who said I was interested in that sort of relationship? And since when has the princess become a possession to be owned?"

Link's curt questions caused Brayden to gape at him as his words failed to come. Instead, Brayden retaliated with something entirely off subject, "And just how did you recover so quickly? Last I saw you it seemed the whole right half of your body was crushed."

Link cringed and answered without thinking to the unexpected question, "Impa managed to scrounge up some people with a little knowledge of red potions…it was enough to heal the extent of the damage but I'll be pretty sore and still a little bruised for the next few days."

"Excellent," Brayden smirked. "Then tomorrow you wouldn't mind having a duel in the courtyard to win Zelda's favor?"

Link gave an uncharacteristic snort, "I have no need of that, and I would easily beat one such as you."

"Are you too much of a chicken?" he taunted.

"Says the guy that wants to fight a recovering cripple…" Link muttered. "It would be your funeral should you push for this."

"Yeah right, I could take you. And it wouldn't be with swords, it would be too tempting for me to kill you."

Link eyed Brayden's much bulkier form thick with gym equipment based muscle, "How long did it take you to plan this _brilliant_ idea of yours? All you'd have to do is sit on me if that were the case."

Brayden's face burned a bright red at this rude comment, "Do you accept or not?" he growled while his fists clenched together in an effort to control his temper.

"Fine, but like I said before: it's _your_ funeral."

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I had something important to say, but now I can't remember what that was, lol…Oh well, life goes on. I hope this chapter didn't deviate too much from a positive turnout, but I'll see depending on what you wonderful people reading this tell me. Well, thank you for your time! :D

-blondie91


	5. Courtyard Brawl

**Chapter 5  
****Courtyard Brawl**

"This is incredibly immature and stupid of you to have accepted, Link," Zelda glared at him as he accompanied her to the courtyard.

"You can't tell me you like this fool, can you?" he replied casually. "He's the idiot that talked me into it. Pin it all on him."

"You didn't have to invite the whole garrison to watch though," Zelda hissed, but quieted when Brayden joined her opposite side in an effort not to be outdone.

"Well princess, hopefully you won't be too faint of heart to watch as I beat your friend here senseless," Brayden said to her teasingly, but baited for a demeaning comment from Link.

Link smiled but held his silence and hooked his arm into Zelda's. Zelda jumped in surprise and looked at him with the obvious question in her eyes, but did not have a chance to look long as Brayden mirrored Link and laced his arm with her other, albeit jerkier than Link's fluid movement.

"I don't understand the point," Zelda said to Brayden. "Doesn't this seem a bit…much, considering that I have not the slightest idea what this is all about?" Now she was trying to lure him into admitting the truth to facts she already knew; although, Link had hidden something from her of their goal and that something she sensed had to deal with who turned out to be the victor.

"It is simply for sport, Princess. Besides, Link here will get a chance to put his abilities to the test against a worthy opponent such as myself."

"Well, my worthy opponent, it would seem you have already forgotten too easily how I was able to incapacitate you in one move yesterday…without my sword I might add, as today's challenge requires," Link interceded.

"What has gotten into you?" Zelda finally snapped. Before Link had seemed so serious and intent on maintaining a decent composure and keeping his distance, but today he acted much differently than he had since he had come back to Hyrule. She could not comprehend what would have made such a difference in his personality, but worry was beginning to set in. Surely Link's whole foolish purpose in this was not just to bring about the ridicule of someone he knew he could best? That would be downright mean, and though this was a childish thought, Zelda knew she was correct in her thinking.

He shrugged in response to her question and smiled at her. She found herself enjoying the way Link currently seemed prone to smiling, but it did not feel right. He had to be up to something.

"Hope you're not too nervous there, Link," Brayden offered in such a gentlemanly way that would have appealed to many of Hyrule's upper class female population, but Zelda paid no real attention to his endeavor.

"What does Impa have to say about all of this anyway?" Zelda put forth a question meant for both of them.

"She thinks it amusing," Link cast a sly wink at her and Zelda cringed at this uncharacteristic behavior. It was not that she found it unattractive on him, but not knowing what was behind it clawed more and more at her insides the longer Link kept it up.

Their destination was the guard's training grounds just off to the side of the courtyard. When they reached the place, a good number of soldiers decked out in grungy training uniforms were already there. The fight between Link and Brayden would allow them an extended break and some live entertainment. As far as Zelda knew, Link could have easily acquainted himself with some of the guards already and become the crowd favorite.

Zelda felt as though she were about to witness a massacre. The guards would love it when Brayden, a noble here to court their princess, was clobbered by one with similar social standings to themselves; though that was not something she often considered when she talked to people, especially Link.

The soldiers bowed their heads in respect as she stepped among their ranks. Impa appeared by her side the instant Link and Brayden left her to go stand in the center.

"Why are you allowing this idiocy to continue?" Zelda snapped at her caretaker.

"I think Brayden could use some humility, as could Link," she said evenly in return.

Zelda bit her lip at the thought of this, "Well…I think Brayden may end up with more than he can know how to handle."

"Just be quiet and watch."

Zelda immediately became suspicious as something crossed her mind. "You're not the one that put Brayden up to this, are you?"

Impa looked pointedly at her, but said nothing.

Both pairs of eyes turned their full attention to the center of the training grounds where Link and Brayden prepared for their face off. The contenders circled each other carefully and Link took Brayden's taunts with a calm facade. And then, an invisible signal seemed to begin the fight.

Link moved fast and struck quickly, leaving Brayden already winded from a punch to his stomach and sitting flat on his butt.

"You can't tell me that's all you've got in you," Link mocked, stepping back to allow Brayden a chance to get up. Confidence filled his every movement as he surveyed his opponent with attentive eyes.

"Yeah right," Brayden spat back breathlessly, and he threw himself into an aggressive charge at Link.

Link, being the more agile of the two, easily dodged the attack in one move, but Brayden unexpectedly reached out and caught Link by the back of his shirt on the way there and used the momentum of his weight to twist into Link and slam him into the ground. There was a distinct thud as Link's right side took the full force of the blow and Brayden fell down beside him, but came to his feet first.

Zelda stifled a gasp when Link rose with blood dripping from a small gash in the side of his head caused by the rock she pinpointed on the ground, "Link's fought big opponents before; this should be easy for him, shouldn't it?"

Impa nodded, "Normally, yes, but it's time his cockiness got shot down a level or two. He's also going into this feeling a bit sore; you don't recover that good from crushed bones."

"Something that Brayden of all people seems to have happened upon in that last move? …Or did you inform him of that?" Zelda asked with a slight note of agitation.

Impa ignored her charge and Zelda sighed in frustration at this and returned her focus on the battle. Her caretaker could be stubborn and it was simply not worth the effort.

Link shook his head to clear his newfound dizziness and barely avoided Brayden's incoming fist. Reacting swiftly, Link crouched low and bowled into Brayden's legs. Although the tactic worked to take Brayden to the ground once more, Brayden managed to get a good grip on Link in the process so Link went tumbling into a painful heap with him and the two had to fight for separation.

"Not doing so bad now, am I Link?" Brayden huffed as they faced each other.

"Better than I thought," Link growled reluctantly, "but this is getting old."

The two combatants stood and Link braced himself for the sturdy body that charged towards him. As Brayden neared him, Link threw himself slightly forward, appearing about to meet this charge with a ramming of his own. Instead, he propelled himself into the air with a massive effort from the strength in his legs and managed to avoid harm as he performed a front handspring using Brayden's shoulders as a brace and landed behind him. Completely taken off guard by the acrobatic feat, Brayden could not avoid the heavily booted feet that assailed his head with two sharp kicks following the flip, and he collapsed to the ground flickering in and out of consciousness.

A raucous cheer rose up from some of the guards as Link turned to face his fallen opponent. Zelda stood rooted, unsure of what to do in the situation. Should she help Brayden, or would that be encouraging the unruly conception of the fight?

Impa stepped forward and with her cool demeanor intact, pulled Brayden to his feet as Link easily moved to support his other side. The surrounding men began to disperse, though several stepped forward to claim Brayden under Impa's instructions to return him to the castle doctors for the necessary minor treatment.

Upon the soldiers' departure, Zelda strode to Link and asked quite angrily, "So Link, what's the prize? Whatever it was, was it really worth all this foolishness…or was that the point-to make a fool out of Brayden when you knew you could beat him?"

Link cringed at the venom in her voice and Impa motioned in his defense, "Now Princess, the point of this was not mere foolery--…"

"Fight me then, why not?" Zelda spat as a different gleam sparkled in her eyes. "Why not continue the idiocy of this day?"

"Zelda--…" Link exclaimed and easily caught her arm just as it curled into a hard fist that flew in his direction.

"Was the prize a kiss, a kiss for the lovely princess?" she hissed. "Kiss me then, I know you want to. I can sense the love you feel for her, though you try to push it away. She's all yours now. I certainly won't stop you."

Link stared dumbfounded at her for a second and that was all it took as she lunged into him and both fell to the ground. Her lips immediately found his, but Impa jerked her off of him in a heartbeat and held the hair at the base of her neck in a painfully tight knot in her hand.

She shrieked at the suddenness of the pain and threw her elbows into Impa vehemently as Link stood, the spell broken. "Who are you, cruel spirit, to do this to Zelda? I do not love her in such a way and it is not fair of you to throw about her body like that. I care for her as a friend, and that is all."

Her struggles were calming, though she still twisted relentlessly, refusing to make things easy for Impa, and sneered at him. "Oh, I could do much worse with the body of a pretty girl such as her, but my purpose is to make use of what she puts to waste. All the power of her position and yet there are those that hide in alleyways rotting their lives away because the royalty hides in an elaborate castle so richly furnished. While the farm girl at Lon Lon Ranch toils away, you have this snotty princess with a closet full of fine dresses at her disposal. And then of course, there is you. The idiot boy that pitifully attempts to hide his emotions and make himself seem cool and in control of his surroundings. While you're off playing the wounded hero card, the people of Hyrule have been suffering. Well you know what, you're just pathetic!" she vented at him; all the while Impa's grip remained strong and unforgiving.

Link did not know what to make of any of this, but retorted with instead, "Who are you?"

"I was once a disguise but the princess's choice to alter time gave my creators a way to offer me life. For now I exist only in spirit, but soon I will have a capable body once their bidding is done. I was a part of her; for seven years she masqueraded trying to be good. If she had only kept things as they were she would have remained a constant vigilante fighting for the good of her people and I would not have my miserable existence, fighting for a chance at life in another's body."

"What might I call you, spirit?" Link hissed; her words did not bring anyone to mind.

Zelda's body went limp and Impa had to hurry to catch her, but the spirit had planned this and pulled free. She shoved Impa into a nearby wall with an uncanny agility and then turned on Link, once again pushing him to the ground and straddling his chest as he stared up at her face in befuddlement.

Her eyes burned with anger as she screamed, "Sheik, they called me Sheik you idiot boy!" She threw a bony fist into the gash on his forehead before collapsing yet again, but this time without any pretense.

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Well, that was a fun chapter to write. I was feeling pretty sick throughout the editing process so here's hoping I patched it up ok. Link's perspective is going to start coming in soon, I will say that much. He's much more fun to center on. Sunday night updates are still set so be on the lookout next week.

-blondie91


	6. Goodnight Kiss

**Chapter 6  
****Goodnight Kiss**

Link paced the interior of Zelda's bedroom fervently as Impa struggled to rouse the unconscious princess. He would cast quick glances in Zelda's direction to check her status. The sickly pallor of her normally pale face was frightening, but plans needed to be made and time was not of essence. Even though the spirit's power over her had temporarily waned, it seemed Zelda had hardly any strength left in her.

His focus on her did not help free his mind of unwanted thoughts. The spirit's desire to force the princess on him brought to life emotions he did not want to feel. He loved Zelda, but as a close friend. She had sacrificed, as had he, and that was where their bond ended, or so he wished it could be so. Deep down he knew his heart yearned for her as more than a friend, but that opposed too many of his logical goals and it was not a future he could reasonably foresee. That kiss might have been spirit induced, but he had kissed the lips of the princess. He had come here intent on keeping an emotional distance, and he could see now that he was failing.

"Link!" Impa called to him. The impatience in her voice made him realize this had not been the first time she had said his name and he snapped to a startled halt and turned to face her.

Zelda sat against the bed's frame and stared with a haunted look in her eyes. Her normal luster was gone. "Sheik, the spirit, is a fault brought into this world of my own making. It is only right that its power over me should bring about my demise," she said despondently.

Link returned her stare completely dumbfounded. "What?" he asked hesitantly at the lifelessness behind her words.

"I was fully aware when it spoke to you, and it was right. I have hidden behind these castle walls for far too long. The spirit showed me things…I do not understand what its history is to make it feel so, but now its hatred consumes me and makes it stronger," she explained. "As the only heir to Hyrule's throne, the spirit is in a position to cause problems, and you all can't know when to trust me. And the spirit wants to hurt you, Link, not physically but…it senses something and seeks to turn it against you. This spirit works for someone to some extent, and that someone would not mind watching you suffer. The only answer I can see is to destroy my body so that the spirit cannot use me to evil ends."

"Princess--…" Impa began with a shocked tone, but Link swiftly interrupted.

"You mean to say we should kill you? That's your solution?" he snapped angrily. "And if you want me to do it, that's out of the question. Thereare those that care for you that you would be hurting with such a decision. Let's not forget that you are the only heir to the Hylian throne. Your death would succeed only in throwing the land into political chaos. You saved lives by reverting time, Zelda, so the spirit's anger with you makes no sense."

"Maybe, but the anger it feels still exists. Besides, I'll marry Brayden as soon as possible if he'll consent to it and even if I do not live long enough to bear his children, at least Hyrule will have an able future king by way of marriage." The monotone in her voice did not go away.

Link visibly cringed at this idea. "Brayden is an idiot and you know it. Impa, is there anyway to exorcise this spirit as you mentioned before? Surely you would not consent to her insanity?"

"Of course not," Impa automatically answered his second question first, "and I have asked around, but there has been no one with such knowledge.

"It would make no sense for me to continue when the spirit can take over at any crucial moment," Zelda argued. "It tried to kill my father and I'm sure it has no limits."

Link studied her intently. Was this a ploy of the spirit's to trick them into the unthinkable? Link's fists curled into tight balls at the thought of this, but then an idea came to him. It took effort to keep the enthusiasm from his voice and maintain his calm demeanor, but he managed and said, "There is another option," he looked meaningfully at Zelda as he said this. "In my travels I met a man that could prove useful. I thought he was…crazy…at the time, but now I see how his expertise might work well for our purposes."

Impa perked up with interest at this statement, but said nothing as a sign that he should continue.

"His name was Abel Marion. He lives to the west of here, a good several days journey across the mountains beyond our own Death Mountain. His house was filled with all kinds of books on spirits…"

"Why did you deem him as crazy?" Impa asked the obvious question.

"Well, I had taken care of some monsters in the area, so he wanted me to become sort of an apprentice to him in dealing with the 'supernatural'…When I refused, he accused me of being possessed by an evil spirit, and that's all it took."

Some color seemed to return to Zelda's cheeks at this and slowly but surely, life returned to her and the monotone disappeared. "But would he be able to rid me of this spirit?"

"That's what I don't know," Link said, "but right now it seems to be the best choice we've got."

"Is there any way you could go on your own and convince him to come to Hyrule with you?" Impa asked.

Link shook his head, "It's too risky to leave Zelda here at this point, there's no telling what _Sheik_ might do if you happened to get too busy and had to leave a not-so-capable babysitter."

Impa thought this over for a minute, "Then it would just be you, Zelda, and the spirit? That in itself seems too risky."

"I won't need much sleep and Epona can get us through the first part of the journey fast enough that it won't take too long."

"Hmm…Excuse us, Princess, but I must speak with Link privately for a minute." Impa signaled for him to follow her out into the hallway and he met Zelda's gaze with a similar one filled with the same question, as neither knew what this was all about.

Impa shut the door firmly behind them and faced Link resolutely with stern eyes. "Do you love the princess?" she asked him abruptly, but in a hushed tone.

Link was taken aback by the question, and he gaped at her in his astonishment.

Without further delay, Impa amended her words, "I'm sorry, that didn't come out quite right. Would you be able to uphold yourself well enough to keep the spirit from compromising the both of you?"

Link turned a deep shade of red. "There's no uncertainty about that, of course I would."

Impa raised an eyebrow at his confidence, "Did that fight with Brayden not teach you that there are ways to turn your own strengths against you? This spirit is crafty and should it want to try anything of that nature, it would manipulate things to get its way. A few days of just the two of you is plenty of time."

He stood his ground, but would not meet her eyes. Still red-faced, he felt incredibly awkward having this conversation, especially because how direct, yet cool, Impa was approaching it. Now he wondered what other people thought of him when he was able to keep a mask of total control in place. Maybe the spirit was right…he was just pathetic.

"It won't be a problem," he struggled to persuade her.

"Let us continue talk of this journey then with Zelda and see if she has any ideas to contribute," Impa said, reaching to open the door again.

"Not of this issue, I hope," Link mumbled; even more so embarrassed that his words forced him to acknowledge the reality of what she had said.

"Oh no, that is a matter for the spirit and I certainly would not want to give it any ideas," Impa attempted a reassuring smile, but Link ignored it as they reentered the bedroom.

Zelda had regained the strength to move to the end of the bed where she now waited expectantly for their return. "Well, are we to go?" she asked.

"For now the decision is unmade. There are too many days for Link to keep up with the spirit by himself," her caretaker stated easily.

"Are there no villages where we might stop at along the way?" Zelda suggested.

"There…are…" Link hesitantly said this and flinched. "They are mostly dominated by…some rather crude men, however, and it is hard to find passage through their gates anyway. The Goron Village is much too close to take refuge there."

"Then that is not a possibility either," Impa said. "I would go, but while your father is gone and with you soon to depart, I have too many duties here to fulfill."

"So tell me how you convinced my father to 'vacation' at such a time again?" Zelda asked suspiciously.

A guilty look breached Impa's features, "Well, actually, I requested the Zora king to arrange an important summons for your father, through Princess Ruto of course, to talk with him of important diplomatic matters that were of such great importance that they could not wait, and off he went. The Zoras and their protection of Hyrule's water supply are too important for the king to put off anyway, though I've no idea what they are doing on their end…It should be enough to keep the king oblivious to the happenings here though, and that is what we needed."

There came a sudden knock on the door that stopped any commentary on Impa's words. Link grimaced when Brayden was allowed entry, though the bruise on his forehead offered him a slight condolence.

"What can I do for you?" Impa asked him politely.

"I came to see how the princess was faring; I had heard she'd taken ill."

"I'm fine now, Brayden," Zelda affirmed to him from her perch on the bed.

"How would you like to accompany the princess on a journey across the mountains?" Impa asked suddenly.

Link eyed her with undisguised annoyance at this as Brayden said, "I would be honored, but whatever for?"

"That I cannot tell you now, but I must depart for a few minutes, so if you all would accommodate the princess, I shall return shortly."

As soon as Impa left, Brayden immediately hammered Link with the question, "And would you be accompanying the princess on this journey?"

Link nodded with an antagonizing smirk, "That would be a given."

Brayden seemed unperturbed by this, "And just who else, an entourage of guards?"

Link's smirk widened, "Nope, it will be just us three."

Brayden was shocked by this, "Then where would our protection lie? To cross the mountains without any is dangerous."

"My skills will offer protection enough," Link said smugly.

"And what say you, Princess?" Brayden asked her.

"The two of you will prove ample to defend me," Zelda said. Link's attitude turned to suspicion at her blatant goading of Brayden's over-inflated ego. The noble's skills could not defend anyone, even with help.

In an effort to retaliate against Link's defeat of him earlier, Brayden scoffed, "Oh, and Link, did you happen to collect your prize?"

Link pierced him with an icy glare, but said nothing.

"So the idiocy really had a prize, did it?" Zelda said, but she did not seem angry. "Well, what was it?"

"Obviously not then, I see. The prize was to place a kiss upon your fair lips, my lovely princess. Just know that if he does not claim his prize, I am always available."

Impa had walked back in as he had been saying this and glowered at Link in a silent referral to the conversation they had just had out in the hallway.

"Well, I hope tomorrow at dawn is not too soon to get your travels underway. That might seem a bit too hurried along, but the sooner it is done, the better."

"To what town is it across the mountains we would go to, anyway?" Brayden asked.

Impa looked to Link for the answer. "We go to a village, actually, several miles from the mountain pass. The nearest town from there is Dohasehn," he said.

"Oh…" he seemed slightly disturbed at the mention of the town's name for some reason, but did not comment further. "Well then, I suppose we should eat a good dinner tonight and build our strength for tomorrow. How about it princess, will you dine with me tonight? I do hope someone will be packing my things, though."

"Food and other such necessities will be waiting for you in Kakariko Village tomorrow, though you'll have to pack a few pairs of clothes on your own. The weather can be frigid or it can be hot in the mountains, so pack wisely but lightly as you'll be carrying most of your things once you all pass where the horses can make it without difficulty."

xxxxx

"It would seem our friend Abel will be entertaining visitors soon. We can't have him exorcise our friend, now can we? That would ruin _everything_ we planned for," Kotake cackled at the absurdity of such a thought.

"Hmph, then let's not allow their journey to be an easy one," Koume replied. "A bit of heat ought to make their lives miserable. They've already thrown out our plan to kill the king, after all."

"No sister, ice is the key. Bad weather conditions will slow them even more so, and also give our creatures the element of surprise.

Koume pouted, "And why do you get to do everything?"

"Because I'm the smarter one," she scorned her sister, but before Koume could get her own retort in, Kotake continued, "but I suppose I will let you decide which minions to place, though it can't be anything too deadly. We wouldn't want our creature getting caught in the crossfire."

Koume was evidently appeased by this and forgot the snide comment about her intelligence, "Thank you sister, though you will not get away without the aid of my fire in this mission. Time is all we need for our special one to accomplish what we planned, and I've got just the monsters in mind to buy us that time."

The twins hovered around each other. They cackled heartily with thoughts turned to what was to come.

xxxxx

Zelda focused intently on the clothes laid out before her. Impa would have saved her the effort of packing had she not sensed her charge's need to turn her attention to something, so had merely laid out a wide variety of traveling clothing for her to choose from and pack in the provided travel bag.

Her immediate inclination was to choose a few darkly colored cloaks, and she did so by laying them aside. The few choices that followed soon joined them in a pile as did the outfit she planned to wear on the first day.

Returning the other clothes to her closet and tightly packing her selections did not take nearly as long as she had hoped for and her mind wandered back to exactly what she had been trying to get away from.

When she had regained her body, she had felt sick and pathetically weak. Yet, she had suddenly found herself recovering quickly and overwhelmed by an unnatural giddiness for who knew what. There was no plausible explanation that she could see for this…it was just weird.

She was excited to go on an 'adventure' with Link, but she knew discreetly that it was for all the wrong reasons. She had remained outwardly calm when hearing of the 'prize' for their stupid fight, but inwardly she had been thrilled that Link had agreed to such a thing, though whether he was going to go through with it or not was another story. Remembering the way he had acted before the fight, how happy he had been, was an even bigger shock compared to the prize itself, though she briefly recalled that the spirit had pretty much nailed that part of it already.

Thinking on the spirit now, she realized how odd it felt knowing it had a name. Sheik had been nothing more than a disguise wrought by magic and it utterly baffled her as to how any of her current situation had come about. Her talk of death earlier had been motivated into her mouth and the words had come out before she had even realized what she was saying. She felt, however, that the spirit did not really want her to die, but was a manipulator able to somehow sense things about Link and say things to lead to its ideal end result.

Zelda sighed. The thought of ridding herself of the spirit on her upcoming journey was enthralling, but it scared her that the spirit could have concocted plans in regards to the trip there. She sensed it would not allow her to mention anything of her fears, however, so she felt no sense in even trying.

She stared out her window and noticed a light on in the stables far below, and she realized that it had to be Link prepping Epona for what lay ahead. She knew the night to be adequately warm so though she only trod about in a nightgown, she decided to venture out to the stables to talk to him.

Her steady walk down the stairs was uninterrupted, so it did not take her long to arrive at her destination.

"An early morning awaits us tomorrow, Princess, are you ready?" he asked her without turning around and the formality of her title in such a serious voice concerned her.

"I just came to say goodnight," she said softly, stunned by his bluntness.

He swung around to face her then and stared shamefaced at his feet. "Oh…well then, goodnight…Zelda."

A strong desire suddenly filled her to embrace him and she did not know where it came from, although she had a feeling it was the spirit's work influencing her to such boldness. She stepped lightly towards him and the words escaped her, "Link…would you like to claim that prize?"

"I thought you hadn't endorsed that fight?" Link said teasingly in an effort to hide his sudden embarrassment.

"Either way, you won, so why not?"

Link shook his head, "I think we'd better not."

Zelda took another step towards him, but this time he stepped back an equal distance. "It's nothing more than a kiss. Besides, had Brayden won, he certainly would not let his prize go to waste."

"So now you are demeaning yourself to a trophy meant to be won?" he asked, searching for a way out. "Anyway, the kiss was already given. Where's your sense of propriety?"

"Propriety? I think we've been through too much for that. And before, _that_ was the spirit so it doesn't count. You don't understand, Link. Sheik always channels feelings to me when it's the one that instigates anything, but this time I want control. Please Link, one kiss never hurt anything."

"I…can't…Zelda…" he seemed to be losing his control and that was all she needed.

Propelled forward by an inner force, it took only a few more steps to close the distance between them and meet his lips.

Her actions had certainly proven braver than her thoughts. Her heart fluttered at their contact as fear filled her with the thought that he might reject her, but he did just the opposite. Footsteps echoing distantly from the outside of the stable brought him back, though, and he immediately ended it.

Zelda thought she detected a mix of pain and sorrow in his eyes, but those flickers were quickly snuffed out.

"Come Princess, I shall escort you to your room," he said stiffly and this switch back to a formality puzzled her. She hesitantly took his proffered arm and they stiffly walked back to the castle in silence.

Zelda's mind swirled in a daze and she had not noticed their arrival to her room.

"Good night, Princess," Link bid her upon reaching the door. Without another word, he left her standing there alone. She stared silently after him, even when he disappeared from view around a bend in the hallway.

Had she been right to press him? The last thing she wanted had been to hurt Link, but the look of pain in his eyes had been undeniable and she could not erase it from her mind.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The town name Dohasehn was found by doing a google search. I'm not giving any serious thought to it, but my search was "legend of zelda town at base of mountains". I figured Kakariko Village would come up since, you know, lol, but this is actually a town name from…somewhere, lol, but I thought it was better than making up something horrible on my own because that would be lame so I…borrowed it…

This chapter has 3,483 words. Whoo, new record! For this story that is, lol. I'm terribly picky about where I want chapters to end, so this one couldn't until right then, but hopefully it turned out all right. I had to make some major changes to what I previously had saved on my computer because the tone of it was much too upbeat and the flow wasn't very smooth. Hopefully that's all patched up now, but I think I let myself work too close to last minute on some things that I wanted to change so I'll see how that goes. Well, thank you reviewers and don't forget to check out the replies on my homepage! .

-blondie91


	7. Starting Out

**Chapter 7  
****Starting Out**

Link greeted her coolly with a simple 'good morning.' The sun would not officially rise for another half hour, but already the day was lightening as they prepared for their departure.

Brayden had yet to show, but Epona stood ready with Link's weapons and meagerly small clothing bag strapped to her side where he had silently hung Zelda's as well.

Impa stood nearby with a watchful eye holding the reins of a snow white horse. She halted a passing guard and sent him to find 'Master' Brayden and request his immediate presence at the stables.

Zelda eyed Link carefully. Instead of his normally cheerful green, he wore a black tunic that really seemed quite becoming of him. What scared her, though, were the dark circles it accentuated under his eyes. She had not slept much either, but she feared it had been more than a restless night that had caused the rings' creation.

Wearing a fitted blue shirt and black traveling pants beneath a loose-fitting skirt, she was ready for the day, but of the two horses she wondered whose horse she would ride on. Turning the spirit loose with a horse of its own would not be wise, but no one had told her she would ride with Link on Epona either. Surely Brayden would not be capable should a problem arise, but…would Link want to ride with her after last night? It did not seem likely…

It took another ten minutes of waiting in awkward silence before Brayden finally arrived carrying an even bigger bag than Zelda's. She was relieved, however, when she saw Link roll his eyes at this as he helped secure it to the white horse; it was a welcome sign of a drop in his stoic guard.

Brayden appeared miserable to be up and about so early in the morning, but managed a smile in her direction. She returned the smile, happy to be ready for the journey.

Zelda felt obligated to give Impa a parting hug and did so, though she responded stiffly to it. "Be safe," her caretaker said to her and that was that.

Brayden offered her a ride once he was mounted and when Link did not protest to this, Zelda graciously accepted and he helped her onto the saddle in front of him. Link easily boarded his own horse as well, and before she knew it, they were galloping down the path, through the castle's main gates and the quiet town, and out to Hyrule Field.

The ride to Kakariko Village was a fast one, and Link had them stay on their horse as he entered a house and came out with a thick bag, strapping it to Epona.

As soon as he was mounted again, they continued on wordlessly to Death Mountain and Brayden followed Link's movements as he urged his horse into a swift trot that would carry them smoothly on the uphill route.

The journey remained uneventful and she would not have been surprised if Link found it boring, but she was enjoying herself immensely to be on a horse and having the warm wind blow on her. Eventually the sun reached the midday mark and even when Brayden's stomach growled horrendously loud behind her, they did not stop.

Up steep, winding slopes and across gaps their horses had to jump before Link finally halted them a good distance from a sheer cliff wall that loomed up in the distance.

"We're not going to have to climb that, are we?" Brayden groaned at the thought once he had stiffly rendered himself free from the saddle.

Link nodded, "Well, we certainly can't walk through it."

"And we were only able to keep the horses for such a short time…"Brayden muttered.

"Better some than none," Zelda stated optimistically when Link tossed her an apple.

She bit into it eagerly, but when Brayden received one as well he complained once more, "Is this it? An apple? Surely there are much better foods in that sack?"

"There is, but the fruit will go bad sooner, so better to eat it now while it's fresh," Link immediately put an end to his whining and took out his own lunch item. "And I don't think you want much on your stomach. I'd prefer not to see it again should you be afraid of heights."

Zelda glared at him when he took only two bites and tossed it aside. He shrugged and started removing the bags as they finished their lunch portions. Once Link had finished with both horses, he sent them off on a trot together back the way they had come.

Brayden gazed somberly after them and eventually shouldered his own clothing bag. "Might as well get it over with…" he sighed.

Link had already strapped on his weapons of a sword, a shield that seemed bigger than normal to her eyes, and a bow and arrow set, along with who knew what else, and proceeded to pick up Zelda's bag before tossing her his own, much smaller one.

She watched him strap on the food pack as an extra burden. "Why don't you carry the food?" she asked Brayden sweetly. "I think Link here already has enough stuff as it is."

Brayden was flustered by this and stared dumbly at her. "I-I guess I could…" he finally stammered.

Zelda did not miss the smile Link tried to hide at this antic of hers as he said, "No, that's ok. I've got it. I think he'll have hard enough of a time as it is."

Brayden glowered at him for this comment and marched promptly forward muttering, "Oh, we'll see about that…"

Link set off steadily after him with Zelda at this side. "Let's hope that when the rock fall starts he'll get out of the way."

Zelda gasped at this, "What? You're letting him walk right into something like _that_?"

"Sure, why not. A good bonk on the head oughtta teach him a good lesson or two."

"Link, that's terrible!" she snapped.

"Relax, I wouldn't let any harm come to him. He'll be perfectly fine."

"G-guys!" Brayden shouted when the ground started shaking.

Link hurried to undo his shield and ducked under it as an overhang, pulling Zelda tightly to his side in the process. He jerked Brayden backwards to join them under the limited space, and then the rocks began to fall. At first they were not so big and Zelda relaxed, but when huge chunks began falling around them and some even nailed the shield's top, she became anxious. The only thing between them and those rocks was Link's arm holding the shield up. She wanted to believe that Link was strong enough, but until the end of this she was not going to relax.

"Brayden, can you start taking small steps forward?" Link asked him. His voice held no sign of a strain in it.

"Are you kidding me? I'm perfectly fine right here, thank you," Brayden said, stubbornly staying where he was.

"I'll follow directly in your footsteps; the shield will stay in place over your head," Link agitatedly told him.

Brayden did not budge.

"Move of your own free will, or I will push you," Link threatened.

Brayden gulped and initiated a few baby steps.

"Let's go, Brayden," Link snapped and prodded his back in encouragement to move along.

Brayden did not think Link was above pushing him into the rocks and took the prodding as a warning and hastened forward. Link kept close behind him, which meant Zelda too. When they eventually reached a point just in front of the wall where the rocks stopped their advance, Link was able to take his shield down and return it to its spot on his back.

Staring up at the sheer straightness of wall, Zelda asked, "You sure we'll make it up ok?"

"It's very doable," Link assured her. "Just keep to the handholds and you'll make it. I'll start us off in case there's anything hiding in the crevices, and then I'll need you two to follow me closely, understood?"

Without waiting for an answer, he grabbed the nearest place he could grip and pulled himself up. Zelda hesitantly stepped up to start her climb side by side with Brayden.

xxxxx

Abel Marion was a haggard old man. He had a slight hunch that forced his use of a cane and was on the verge of his late seventies. A mixture of grey and white hair splayed about unevenly in clumps across his balding head and in his messy abode, shelves of books of all sorts of manners on the occult filled every space.

He had a bad temperament, so when the knock came at the door for the third time that day, he could only assume it was the village kids bothering him again with their silly dares. When he opened the door about to yell into the nothing that he thought would be there, he fainted at the sight of a gruesome creature filling the small doorframe.

xxxxx

Link noted the good progress Brayden and Zelda were making, certainly much better than he had originally thought they would move along at, but several times he had to stop and wait for them to catch up. He was not comfortable letting too much space lie between them. So far the trip had gone exceedingly well, no monsters or anything for some strange reason, and he had a deep foreboding that this time of peace would not last.

His point was proven when about three-quarters of the way up. Brayden's hand missed where he was reaching for and the rest of him shifted too much in surprise, causing him to lose his balance. Link smoothly skidded down the wall to their level and snatched one of Brayden's flailing arms almost a second too late.

Brayden weighed a good deal more than Link, so that put a lot of hardship on him as he fought the forces of gravity. He gritted his teeth because of the strain, but he could feel his own grip slipping from the wall and Brayden's arm. The wall did not offer him much more than a precarious balance, and one or the both of them was about to fall every bit of what they had already climbed up.

Link could feel the muscles in his arm stretching well past their limit. "Swing back to the wall, you idiot!" he finally found his voice through the adrenaline rush and said.

Brayden hurried to obey, but as he tried to do so, Zelda slipped as well and Link nearly dropped him to save her, in the process toppling backwards himself while unable to hold on with either hand.

Through the impossibility of it all, he somehow managed to tilt himself forward again and shift his body weight against the wall. Thankfully he realized that if he had been standing on one of the smaller ledges that dotted the wall, this never would have worked, but the one he stood on extended only the length of his foot.

Several feet away a big ledge jutted from the wall and when Zelda started to swing much to his bewilderment, he thought quickly and used her momentum to throw her up there, though almost losing his balance again. She beamed malevolently at him from where she now sat and he knew a change had come over her.

Brayden was struck dumb by terror and was not a very vocal 'damsel in distress' by any means, but he was very useless when it came to helping Link save him. With the load of the food pack, Zelda's bag, and his own weapons, Link had no idea how he was able to bear Brayden's weight, with one arm no less, but the thought of dropping him was out of the question. Having such an idea only made him more determined now that the evil had found a place to cross his mind. Brayden could be annoying, but it would not be right for Link to let him go like that.

Brayden eventually snapped out of his stupor and grabbed hold of the wall, locking his feet firmly in place. Link's arm had numbed from the tension, but when he released Brayden, pain jolted through it.

He breathed a sigh of relief and muttered, "It's about time I could let you go…"

"It's not my fault you almost dropped me," the noble retorted, immediately returning to his normal, snotty self.

Link fumed inwardly at Brayden's lack of acknowledgement for the great lengths he had gone to in order to hold onto him.

"Aww, poor Link. You should kick him off just for his rudeness," Zelda chimed in.

"Hey now, if I go down at this point, you're going with me," Brayden said, preparing to grab Link's leg should it swing his way.

Link rolled his eyes in annoyance. "I wouldn't do that. Now _Sheik_, climb the wall to the top, if you would."

"Sheik--?" Brayden asked, but the spirit cut him off.

"Hmph, just why should I make this easy for you?" she sneered and sat stubbornly criss-cross with her arms folded tightly. "You'll have to come over here and carry me up yourself."

"All right, then I'll have Brayden here do the honors. When you both fall and break something, or worse, then that body you currently inhabit won't be as useful to you, now will it?" Link snapped in return.

"Oh fine, have it your way then," she said and quickly began her ascent.

Link was amazed at how fast she was now scaling the wall, and it took him a second to realize that he did not want her reaching the top before he did. Up there she would have too much power.

Link could sense Brayden slightly below him waiting for him to start climbing again before he moved so much as an inch, and suddenly the last quarter stretch seemed daunting to his aching arm. He finally decided that since he had fared much worse before, he would deal with the pain. He could not allow Zelda to make it to the top first in her possessed state.

He inhaled deeply and took off after her, pulling himself along hastily as he attempted to catch and beat her. Having to keep in mind his footing slowed him as she seemed to glide easily upwards without a care in the world. The spirit was agile, he would give it that much.

The spirit possessed Zelda proved to be too fast, especially with its head start, and her foot slammed down on his left hand when it found purchase at the top. His body's automatic reaction to the sudden pain was to jerk his hand back despite his loss of safety by the action, but he reached with his other hand and caught himself. To make matters worse, the ledge he found himself on only allowed him to stand tip-toe on it, offering little in the way of balance.

His right arm throbbed as it sustained the weight of his balance until his left one eventually found its way to a handhold again. It had already grown worse from the climb up, so he was pretty miserable.

"Poor thing, how your arm must hurt," she cooed mockingly.

He had to do something unexpected, and incredibly fast, or he would not get past her. Reaching his left hand up to the top again and knowing full well she would stomp on it again, he endured the pain of his right arm and swung his body with great speed over the top and caught her in his tumble to the level ground. He held her arms spread out and wrists pinned to the ground as he laid there in a heap on top of her.

She pouted at her failure to harm him further. "Looks like you pulled through after all."

"What are you trying to do, kill me?" Link growled at her breathlessly. "Why wait so long when I'm sure you've had plenty of opportunity before? At least then I would've been prepared."

She smiled at this, "Of course not. Making you suffer is all I really want, especially after you ruined my plan to drown her and more importantly, to kill the king. You are too adept at self-preservation that killing you wouldn't be any fun."

"Why you--…"

"Yes, yes, I know. I could fill in the blank with any list of bad names to describe how you feel about me. Besides, here you are and here I am and I _know_ just how badly you love the princess, whether you'll admit it to yourself or not.

"Could someone give me a hand here?" Brayden's voice interrupted.

"Not now and not ever," Link spat and stood. Throwing off the food bag onto her as extra leverage, he rushed to pull Brayden up before he could pull another stupid maneuver and slip again in an attempt to get himself over the ledge.

Link jerked him up and threw him to the ground before turning quickly on his heel to catch the spirit flinging Zelda's body into him. He took it solidly and shoved her back down.

"Fine then, be that way," she said before the malevolent spirit winked at him and a new expression of confusion adorned her face.

"Zelda?" he asked.

She stared blankly at him for a second, but panic registered soon after. She eventually said in a small voice, "Yeah, it's me…I'm sorry Link…"

An indignant Brayden had been just about to demand what was going on, but instead stammered out fearfully, "W-what is th-that…_thing_ behind…y-you?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Whatever could it be? ;) lol. I hope that first part of the journey didn't happen too quickly, but they still have a ways to go. Not much else to say on this chapter, but a big thank you to reviewers!

-blondie91


	8. Mountain Sledding

**Chapter 8  
****Mountain Sledding**

"Darunia?" Link asked in surprise.

"It has a name?" Brayden cowered behind Link as he said this.

Before them stood the Goron king in all his rock hard might, with hands on hips and an agitated expression on his tattooed face. "Yes, Brother. You disappear for five years and when you turn up again, even pass by our home, you do not visit us?"

Link met his accusing gaze with one full of shame. "Sorry…it's just that…I was in a hurry and…" he stammered at a loss for words.

"This thing is his brother?" Brayden could be faintly heard whispering to Zelda in the background in disbelief.

Darunia grinned. "I did not mean to unnerve you Brother, but for your rudeness you must accept a Goron hug. It has been much too long."

Link's eyes widened in mock terror and he backed up a few steps in response. His embarrassment was not an act, however. "No offense, Darunia, but I think I'll have to pass."

"Nonsense," the grinning Goron said with arms outstretched.

Thinking this hilarious and easily catching the astonished Link off guard, Brayden gave him a hard shove from behind.

Link stumbled forward and Darunia caught him in a tight embrace. There was a distinguished snap as his back popped. When he was finally free, he staggered back and appeared totally mortified.

"Now then, why are you in such a rush? Surely you could have briefly stopped to see us lowly Gorons off the only mountain route there is on Death Mountain? And who is this rude one that so blatantly referred to me as a thing?" Darunia asked, indicating Brayden with that last statement.

"Well, Brayden here is of Hyrule's 'nobility', so I can only assume that he doesn't get out much," Link said going for the easy question first. "And the princess has been having some problems that we are journeying across the mountains to hopefully have cleared up."

Brayden was indignant at Link's disregard of his nobility status, but his ears perked up in interest at the fact that there was something wrong with Princess Zelda. After all, he knew relatively little as to why he was traveling in the first place-only that Impa had asked him and that he was hoping to please the princess by acting as an escort of sorts.

"Very interesting…" Darunia looked to Zelda then, "and what kinds of problems are these?"

She blushed at his attention, "Well, there's this…spirit…that's…"

Link abruptly cut in and quickly finished for her, "…controlling her body anytime it takes over, which has been happening frequently lately and this spirit just recently tried to kill the king."

Brayden gasped and Darunia seemed bewildered. "But how? Do you know where this spirit comes from?"

"Our plans are to get it exorcised as soon as possible, and we did find out that its name is Sheik…but…"

"Interesting, well I best not keep you since it seems you've got a long way to go in such short time, or so I assume by your lack of a visit. Best of luck Brother, but stop by on your way back if you can," Darunia turned to walk back into the right of the two caves on Death Mountain's top.

"Wait," Link said to stop him. "Where are all the monsters that used to be here?"

"My Gorons took care of those foolish enough to remain. We have not ventured to the mountain's backside though, so be careful."

Link nodded, "Thanks."

Brayden stared open mouthed after the receding Goron, and once that source of his confusion and fear was out of sight he turned on Zelda, "You're…_possessed_…by a spirit? An _evil_ spirit? And you all dragged me into this without telling me?"

Link pushed him away from her, "It's not her fault. As much as I'd prefer you not to be here, Impa was wise in not telling you our reasons for this journey."

"And you said we're going to exorcise the spirit? What, are we going to that nut job Abel Marion, too?"

Link narrowed his eyes in suspicion, "How do you know this man?"

"And you said I never get out much, huh?" Brayden retorted bitterly.

"I'm sure he hears things," Zelda rose in his defense, although she felt miserable for how poorly Brayden was taking her condition.

"We do go to see Abel," Link said slowly and immediately dropped the subject after that. "All right, let's go. Going up wasn't terrible until that last part, but getting down the other side to get to the main mountain pass is going to be interesting."

Brayden did not protest the topic change as they walked around the cave entrances, after Link had picked up the food pack again, to where they could view the steep incline of the mountain's other half. Several more mountains ascended in front of them, but a clear path could be seen from their vantage point. He also noted that the sun was beginning to set. "Wouldn't it be safer to make camp up here for the night?" he asked.

Link shook his head, "We haven't gone nearly far enough today and we've still got daylight left, so we might as well use it."

He tossed the food pack Brayden's way not expecting him to catch it anyways, and undid his shield and set the front side of it on the ground. "I thought you said we weren't making camp?" Brayden asked confused.

"We're not. You and Zelda are going to slide down on my shield and you are going to hold onto our food and Zelda's bag while I pick my way down without any additional weight to carry."

"W-what?" Brayden stared in disbelief. "You can't be serious. How about _you_ slide down on the shield and we'll meet you at the bottom."

"It's faster this way," Link said and Zelda obediently sat her small form in the shield's basin.

"You sure this'll work?" she asked him just to affirm.

"For the most part, yes," Link said. He gently handed Zelda her own bag to hold onto for the ride and she took it silently. "All right Brayden, once you get on I'll give you all a boost to get going down the slope."

"It's much too dangerous. I'll go with you and if Zelda wants to sled, then she's welcome to it."

Link placed a menacing hand on Brayden's shoulder. "Get on and get on now. Zelda is much too light to keep it from flipping. Your weight will keep it upright and hopefully keep it from going airborne too much."

Brayden gulped and sat. He had finally realized that he was not putting on a very brave front for the princess. Link placed the fallen food bag in his lap and before the cowardly noble could change his mind, he hurried to the back and shoved it off.

Watching their bobbing forms slide swiftly away, Link began his own descent. There was no time to worry about his continually throbbing arm as he maneuvered down the steep slope by use of his own two legs. Several times he let the gravelly surface carry him down before he'd have to pull his shoes out of the dirt and move on his own accord, though for the most part he was able to alternate. Balance was difficult to maintain on the downward incline, but he prevailed and made good time, though by now he hoped they had safely made it to the bottom because he could not see them.

The muscles in his arm, though as badly injured as he figured they were, were not as merciless in their pain now, so that had to be a sign his arm was healing…right? He would have to survey the damage as soon as they settled somewhere for the night, but until then he could only hope for the best.

Eventually Link crested a slight hill and found he still had a ways to go. He saw no sign of Zelda and Brayden except for the trail the shield had left behind, but even at the mountain's base, there was nothing. He kept going nevertheless, and all the while the sun continued on its sinking path.

Link had been making plenty of noise, unafraid that something might hear him, but when he heard the sharp intake of breath behind him, he froze and slowly turned around. He dodged the oncoming spout of flame, and beheld a Dodongo that had somehow materialized there on the mountainside.

The creature watched him with hungry eyes, and Link struggled to maintain his footing as he circled around it, knowing full well where its weak point was on the tail. The creature was fast though, and moved to block him from its rear. Link took the necessary move and stood in place for a second to lure it into using its flamethrower again, and when it did so, he rolled around to the back. The tricky footing required to carry this out proved too much for him though.

He managed to get a good strike in on the monster's tail, but then he slipped and slammed into the slope. The creature had jerked around rapidly at the blow to its weak point and opened its mouth wide to get at him while he was down. As the pointed jaws closed in on him, Link acted quickly and stuck his sword through the creatures jaw and when it slammed shut in its greed, the sword went right through from the inside out.

The Dodongo roared as blood spurted from the wound and its green scales flashed a red warning color. It had been a long while since Link had run into one of these creatures before, so this delayed his realization that he needed to get away, and fast.

Leaving his sword behind for the time being, he crawled away at first until he could regain his feet and then took off running as fast as the slope would allow him without falling. There was a distinct boom behind him as the creature's remains detonated.

He skidded to a heavy stop and turned around to see smoke rising in the area where a sooty circle lined the ground. In the midst of that sat his sword and he carefully retrieved it, glad that it still remained in tact after the bomb-like blow to it.

Now that he had finally run into a monster, Link felt that as he journeyed farther downhill, things would only get worse.

It was another half-hour before he spotted Zelda and Brayden, but he was still far enough up that they could not see him. What worried him though, were the other dark shapes that surrounded them in the onset of nightfall.

He pushed himself harder to get down there and finally when he slipped and went sliding, he did not try to stop it. He was certainly already dirty enough from all the rubble.

Eventually he slowed himself as more cover began to appear down the desolate slope in the form of large boulders and maneuvered quietly under their cover, trying not to send down any small rocks that might give away his position. As he got closer, he realized that he had been wrong about other forms around them. They sat peaceably enough together along the beginnings of a path and what he had thought were people were really just boulders slightly smaller than the ones he currently hid behind.

Sensing no danger in the immediate vicinity, Link hurried along like before and breathed a sigh of relief when he took a step on level ground for the first time in a while.

By now the sun had completely set and he had only the light of the moon and stars to see by. As he approached Brayden and Zelda, he once again became worried. What worried him was that they were not moving. Sure that could mean they were asleep, but something told him that was not the case by the close proximity of their bodies.

He carefully stalked up to the boulder they leaned on and found their hands bound together as they sat there in an unconscious state.

The only warning of the attack came when he heard a whistling in the air behind him. Then something hard and metal smashed into his head, and out he went.

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This chapter's length is definitely shorter than the last two, but consistent with the earlier chapters. I'm glad people seem to be enjoying this fic, though. Hopefully this chapter wasn't…icky…for lack of a better word, lol. Once yonder characters get over the mountains, I have a lot in store that I'm really excited about. I just need to get to writing it…

-blondie91


	9. Death Match

**Chapter 9  
****Death Match**

Link was rudely awakened by a bucket of icy water and snapped his eyes open. He took in his immediate surroundings in a glance and found himself in a large cavern lit with the lights of many campfires.

The bucket's owner was a dirty man that gave him a near-toothless smile full of malice. "It's about time you woke up, Sleepin' Beauty," he guffawed.

Link tried to sit up, but found that his wrists were tied together as were his legs at the ankles. Not only that, but an astute pain assailed his head as well as his arm from apparently lying on it for a good length of time.

The man yanked him up to a sitting position with surprising strength and dragged him across the cavern's floor. "Boss wants ta see you, he does," he said.

Link noticed that there were other dirty, evil looking men gathered about those campfires that illuminated the place and dread crept through him, especially when he realized anything could have happened to Brayden and Zelda during his unconsciousness state.

When the man hauling him dragged him behind a raggedy curtain, Link was relieved to see the two sitting propped against a box, although they were in a similar state to his own. Zelda seemed angry about something, but Brayden seemed miserably withdrawn from his surroundings. When Link was placed beside him, however, he looked up.

A big man entered from behind another curtain and walked with heavy footsteps. This man was extremely tan and his muscular body bulged with the tattoos that decorated it. He was covered in dirt, but appeared to be a bit better kept than the other men so Link automatically assumed he was their leader.

"Well, my prisoners, how goes it?" he laughed. "Do you honestly believe this boy can best me in hand-to-hand combat?"

Link realized exactly what would have happened in his absence. Brayden would have goaded the leader's ego in an effort to stay alive, and that was why Zelda was angry. She was angry because Brayden's statement had now endangered Link more so than them.

Brayden vigorously nodded his head and Link fixed him with a fierce glare. The leader then grabbed Link's shirt collar and held him suspended off the ground as he spat in his face, "And do you think so, boy?"

Link hesitated for a second, wondering what the best plan of action was. He had not been awake long enough to think of a better plan, but maybe…if he could pull it off and defeat this guy, they could get away easier than fighting a whole hideout of these…vagabond.

"Yes," he finally said, surprised at the smoothness in his voice despite the lack of confidence he suddenly felt, "I think I can."

The man laughed heartily at this, "You know, boy, I did not get to be leader of this place for nothing. Here I am in charge of the lowest filth-thieves, murderers, you name it. I am the great King Ratri and there are none that live long when they oppose me. I accept your challenge, ignorant boy, and to the Ring of Death we shall go now to carry out this fight."

He threw Link's bound form to the ground and signaled to several of the other men to drag him, Brayden, and Zelda behind him as he went out through where he had entered.

The supposed 'Ring of Death' turned out to be just a large circle drawn over the ground with a chalklike substance on the area just outside of the cave. Link's captors cut his bonds in one swift motion and slammed him into the dirt just inside the rim of the circle.

He brushed himself off and found his legs shaky from having been tied up for so long. The leader, Ratri, stood on the ring's other side with an evil smirk on his face. "Bring out our prisoners' belongings. I'm feeling rather generous tonight."

Two men walked off to carry out the command and came back with the four bags as well as Link's weapons, though the shield was missing. Ratri took the sword and had them throw the rest of their belongings against the wall. Well, if anything it would make for an easy getaway should they have time to grab their stuff.

One of those men picked up his bow and arrow set and notched an arrow to it. He was surprised when Ratri tossed his sword to him. Link caught it easily by the hilt as he said, "You're too much of a pipsqueak for me to face in hand-to-hand combat. There'd be no fun in it so we'll fight with weapons, though you still won't have much of a chance."

A nearby crony handed Ratri a large spiked club that he hefted with his right hand.

Link remained silent. He felt confident in his abilities to defeat this man by sword, and grateful that this leader was apparently a bit more lenient than Link was sure those that served under him deserved.

"Now boy, should you try anything funny, my man here will take you out with one of your own arrows, understand?" Ratri said.

"Or if I happen to be winning, I'm sure he'll do the same," Link grunted. He was disappointed with this as that fact clicked easily in place for him.

Ratri grinned, "Well, so long as you caught on. I will not have an outsider best the leader of this clan."

Link rolled his eyes at this man's pride in the band of criminals he was in charge of. "Shall we fight?"

Ratri nodded and lumbered forward. Link thought back to the duel he had fought with Brayden. Though that had been slightly less deadly, he realized there were things to learn from it in dealing with much bigger opponents. Link was more agile than this man, he was sure, but Ratri would most likely have no trouble turning that fact against him as Brayden had in the few smart maneuvers he had pulled off.

Link was thankful it had been his right and not his left arm that had been injured as he struck out with his sword. Ratri parried it easily, and hammered into Link. He proved to be quick enough to dodge the lethal blows from the big spikes that Ratri's weapon bore.

Since Ratri's weapon was much heavier, he did not have the ability to strike nearly as fast as Link, so Link found an opening in the barrage of attacks to strike with a quick flick of his wrist and swiped away a good chunk of flesh from his opponent's side before he was forced to back up to save himself. Ratri was angry that Link had drawn first blood and threw himself relentlessly forward, causing Link to stumble.

He caught himself and twisted aside just as the club would have smashed into his skull. One blow would probably be enough to finish Link, so he would have to be careful.If he could get in a good stab at Ratri,then he would not have to worry as much, but his ferocious swinging of his club was preventing any such chance.

"Come on Link, you're better than that," Brayden cheered with what sounded like false enthusiasm, probably in an effort to cheer a sour Zelda. She sat beside him in a stubborn silence; her anger was directed fully at Brayden for getting Link into this predicament, but Link's focus was on the battle and he noticed none of it.

His time to strike hard came surprisingly fast. Ratri had lunged at Link in what he thought was a clear shot, but Link had ducked into a roll and swerved around him, stabbing with great effort into the middle of Ratri's back. Link was completely caught off guard when after having yanked his sword out so he could get away from Ratri's retaliation, Ratri purposely fell backward and basically sat on him. Blood dripped from the fresh wound on the man's back, but he seemed unperturbed.

Link's squirming proved futile-Ratri was incredibly heavy. "Well, it seems already I have you in a position to kill you. Pathetic that you thought you could beat me."

"Idiot, I still have my sword," Link could not help but point out before he hacked away at the open target before him.

Ratri twisted away to the ground next to Link, yet kept his foot secured tightly so he could not get away. He caught the oncoming swing with the club, before shoving Link's sword arm away and going in to pound him with a good blow. Link's foot was wedged too much beneath Ratri for him to make any sort of real effort to dodge, but somehow he managed to bring his sword back down in front of him in the nick of time and they locked in a momentary standstill. Ratri was too strong for Link to last out in this, so Link did the only thing he could do. He kicked blindly with his one free leg and apparently nailed Ratri somewhere good because once he felt freedom and the club had lifted, Link crawled away quickly and regained his feet.

"Impudent boy," Ratri hissed furiously and stood as well. "My patience grows thin."

Link scrambled to get out of the way as Ratri lumbered towards him once more, but the big man threw himself into a dive that caught Link as he tried to dodge out of the way. The full weight of him slammed into Link and caused his vision to blur as the brunt of the blow also slammed his head into the ground. In the flicker of torchlight Link caught the club's shadow raised above his head in preparation for a final strike.

Link twisted his arm backwards with the sword aimed to strike wherever it could hit, he was certainly not going down in a helpless state, and there came a shriek from behind him and the club clattered to the ground just an inch from his head.

Link's body felt suddenly lighter as Ratri jerked away. Though still slightly dizzy, Link twisted around and found Ratri staring miserably at the arm that had wielded his weapon. Blood spurted from the veins on his wrist where Link's sword had cut into, but the ring leader seemed to be taking the pain well.

"You ruined my fighting hand," Ratri growled; anger flared in his eyes. "Shoot him."

Link's eyes widened at this and he acted quickly and dodged behind Ratri's big form, sure that the unlucky archer would be too focused on his target to notice exactly where he was shooting. Like he had intended, the arrow missed him and thudded into the unsuspecting leg of Ratri.

Link shoved him over onto his stomach using Ratri's disorientation as a crucial point in being able to do this and while the archer was panicking at the realization of having shot his boss, he ran over to Brayden's and Zelda's side and cut the cords that bound them. "Get the supplies and get out of here. Find someplace to hide until I get there, all right?"

Brayden nodded dumbly and Zelda hurried off to take care of what was necessary with Brayden trailing on her heels. Link hoped the bumbling idiot would not cause more problems, but at least Zelda had a capable head on her shoulders even if she lacked the strength to defend herself should trouble arise.

The archer finally decided that the best way to make up for his mistake was by actually hitting Link and succeeded in this when the shot nailed Link's stomach. He grimaced, but ripped the arrow out cleanly. He certainly would not want them breaking off the stem and getting the head stuck beneath his flesh; he would simply have to deal with the blood loss.

Now that Link was watching, he was able to time his movements just right and lure the one shooting with his bow to shoot at a certain place where he had been standing, allowing him split seconds to avoid being shot.

Ratri sat muttering on the ground about how he would be a cripple for life, never able to fight with any decent weapon again and this fact shocked Link about how much of a baby the man was becoming. Wounds healed. It wasn't like he had completely severed the thing; although, it was not likely they had any clean medical supplies out here to fight off infection.

His job now was to make sure Zelda and Brayden got away safely in the midst of the pandemonium. Other men now braved themselves enough to face him and charged towards him with swords drawn themselves. Link watched as Brayden picked up everything under Zelda's guidance, and they set off. He had begun twirling his sword in such a way to catch the firelight and mesmerize the dithering fools that approached him.

Another arrow struck him, this time in his shoulder, and Link stopped his antics and started maneuvering himself to the part of the circle where he could take off running after Zelda and Brayden once he deemed it was time. He yanked the arrow out and threw it to the ground.

It was Ratri still suffering through his wounded ego that finally noticed the prisoners' escape, and when he yelled at his men for being so stupid as to allow such a thing, Link took the distraction and literally ran with it as fast as his legs could carry him. His eyes scoured the dark terrain for a likely place Brayden and Zelda would have found to hide.

He could hear pounding feet from a mob chasing him from behind, but he was widening the distance too much for them to catch him. Eventually his keen eyes located a shadow that was darker than the rest and hurried towards it. As he got closer he heard Zelda whisper his name and after some searching of where her voice had come from, he found the cave entrance only because he stumbled right into it.

Zelda and Brayden sat patiently waiting for him. A miniature fire offered enough light to see by and Link was surprised that he had not seen its light from the outside.

"You're hurt," Zelda pointed out. Through the tears in Link's black tunic, red gashes could be easily seen from where the arrows had struck him.

"It's nothing," he said, locating his bag and digging out several rolls of bandages.

"Well, Link. I must say I'm impressed," Brayden said. "You did well."

"Whatever," Link snapped. Brayden was a useless imbecile who he did not feel like dealing with at the moment. Thankfully, the noble took the hint and did not say more.

Unceremoniously, Link yanked his shirt off over his head and pulled out a canteen of water. He proceeded to pour its contents over the wound on his stomach and had to painfully stretch to reach the one on his left shoulder.

"Let me help you," Zelda said moving towards him. She snatched up the rolls of bandages before he could protest. In this closer proximity to his half-naked form, she was also able to see the condition of his right shoulder. She gasped.

Link glanced at it as best he could and was shocked at the dark, purple bruise that covered the whole area.

"I'll get these covered first to stop the blood flow and then we'll see what I can do about…that…" she said mechanically.

She expertly wrapped the gauze in a tight hold around his waist to hold it there on the stomach and then around the opening on his left shoulder. Link could feel Brayden's eyes on him when Zelda lifted his right arm to survey the damage, so he did his best not to wince, but the pain in it exploded, especially when she pressed her fingers to it.

"Your shoulder is certainly in poor shape," she said.

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I really don't want to continue on a downhill trend so I think it's time I took a vacation from writing. o.o; I'll be back in a month or so…When I catch up with life that is, hopefully, lol. I'm really sorry if that's a disappointment for some people and at the suddenness of my decision really. I don't even feel like editing things anymore, to be honest. I did what I could with this chapter, though I mostly just went with a when in doubt leave it out attitude o.o; There were a lot of 'though's I know…Feel free to let me have it…I'll still have reviewer replies posted on my homepage for this chapter by next Sunday night, though, so be on the lookout then. Otherwise I think I'll go hide now and work on the two essays I have due in less than a week.

-blondie91


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